The 35 largest commercial construction companies in Orange County saw modest growth this year as more developers cautiously moved projects forward due to higher financing costs, labor shortages and longer preconstruction timelines.
The 35 contractors that participated in the Business Journal’s latest survey reported or were estimated to have generated more than $10.9 billion in Orange County project revenue for the 12 months as of April 30, up 2.4% from $10.5 billion a year earlier.
Fifteen of those firms reported higher revenue, including MATT Construction, McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. and DPR Construction.
Orange County contracts grew faster than revenue, rising 22% to $14.5 billion as of April, up from $11.9 billion for the same period last year.
Officials said developers are still planning new projects, even in a more cautious investment climate.
“Southern California’s construction market remains active, but clients are making very disciplined decisions about where and how they invest,” Marc Ness, Southern California co-business unit leader at DPR, told the Business Journal.
McCarthy Holds Top Spot
McCarthy Building Cos. kept its spot as the largest commercial builder in Orange County.
The Newport Beach office of the St. Louis-based contractor reported $2.1 billion in Orange County project revenue, a 2.8% increase from $2.05 billion last year.
Colorado-based Hensel Phelps, which has a local office in Irvine, kept its No. 2 ranking with revenue increasing 11% to $1.57 billion in local revenue.
Clark Construction, based in Virginia with offices in Costa Mesa, kept the No. 3 spot even though its Orange County revenue fell 6.3% to $1.15 billion.
Brea-based KPRS Construction Services Inc. ranked No. 4, same as last year, reporting $1.05 billion in local revenue, a slight drop from $1.08 billion last year.
MATT Construction Jumps
Santa Fe Springs-based MATT Construction, which has an office in Anaheim, was among the biggest movers on this year’s list. The No. 22-ranked contractor reported $73.2 million in Orange County project revenue, up from $6.9 million last year—an increase of about 961%, one of the largest gains among ranked firms.
President and CEO Brian Saenger said much of the growth was driven by the company’s work on the massive OCVibe mixed-use entertainment district in Anaheim near the Honda Center—a $4 billion project funded by Henry Samueli.
“MATT’s significant increase in revenue is tied to projects we are building at OCVibe, as well as at other sites in Orange County,” Saenger told the Business Journal. “We have a robust pipeline of new projects anticipated over the next 24 months. Orange County is an important part of our growth trajectory.”
The multiyear OCVibe project is expected to feature entertainment venues, apartments, hotels, restaurants and office space over the next five years. Construction began in 2023.
DPR, Uprite See Strong Gains
DPR Construction moved up to No. 8 from No. 15 last year after reporting $380 million in Orange County project revenue, up 184% from $133.7 million last year.
The Santa Clara-based company, with an office in Newport Beach, said demand remains strong across life sciences, healthcare, advanced manufacturing and mission-critical facilities.
DPR is finishing the new UC Irvine Health Rehabilitation Hospital in Irvine and continuing work on Landmark Hall at California State University, Fullerton.
Uprite Construction, based in Irvine, also saw strong growth. The company rose to No. 18 after reporting $96 million in local revenue, up 76.1% from $54.5 million last year.
Uprite President Jonathan Bagnall and Executive Vice President Brad Kollar said repeat clients and earlier involvement in projects helped drive growth as developers seek more certainty amid tighter financing conditions and longer entitlement timelines.
“Clients are very focused on cost certainty, schedule reliability and overall project feasibility,” the two executives told the Business Journal in a joint statement. “Financing pressures and entitlement timelines have caused people to scrutinize projects much earlier in the process.”
Research Director Desmond Celo contributed to this report.
